Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?

Assuming that my guest does not have to be currently alive, either Elizabeth Blackwell or Rachel Carson. Blackwell was the first US woman to complete medical school, who entered medical school after hearing her her female friends discuss how difficult it could be to talk about all of their health concerns with a male doctor. Carson wrote Silent Spring in the early 1960s, based on research showing herbicides and other pesticides widely used in agriculture have environmental risks. both of them were rather quiet, reserved women (not spotlight seekers!) who saw a major need that was not being met, and decided that they would have to fill that need. And it was challenging for both,both of them were threatened by people who didn’t like what they were doing. I admire their courage.

Now, what would I feed either of them? . . . .

When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?

Not sure, but I do know that I am more likely to sing (alone) when I am not stressed. I do’t sing to other people.

If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?

My first thought was courage / the ability to stand up for beliefs with ease in the face of opposition (see question 1), but actually I think I would put equanimity even higher on the list. Calmly moving forward in my life, without living in anxiety. that’s what I would really want. My own life would be smother, and I think I could do more of benefit in my relationships/ my community / my job

What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?

I feel more offended by certain tones / attitudes taken by jokers than by actual what should and should not be joked about. for example, there’s a huge difference in self-deprecating humor and in humor based on contempt for another person or another group.

Having said that, there are:

certain jokes about mental health

jokes with a strong underpinning of violence

jokes that are based on the assumption that all Muslims are TERRORISTS and should be done in before they do all the rest of us in

Definitely a hugger, although I did not grow up in a hugging family or in an area where there was a lot of hugging. Glad that my current community is full of huggers.

What’s your favorite ice-cream flavor?

Ben and Jerry’s used to make a Coconut Almond Chocolate Chunk ice cream. Haven’t had it for years, but it is still my favorite. However, I generally avoid sugar, because eating many sweets leaves me feeling like crap.

Do you prefer exercising your mind or your body? How frequently do you do either?

I have dropped off on posting about the zero-to-hero. Partly because some of it seemed to be things I was doing anyway (chinking out new blogs, making comments), but also because I am feeling like this is just another procrastination-related activity that has started to feel isolating rather than anything else. I don;’t want to do things like get rid of the games on my laptop, just to replace it with something that leaves me feeling the equivalent.

So, at this point I think I will revert to my original plan of tracking my efforts and increasing contact with folks in my life and at doing something new each week, with occasional extra posts as I am so moved, and leave it at that.

I already had an “about” page, but I have added a little bit of text and a couple of photos. The top photos is narrow-leaved plantain in bloom (a completely different plantain than the banana relative). Although commonly considered a weed, it (and the closely related common plantain) also has medicinal uses. One simple, but really useful, way to use plantain is to make a poultice for insect stings and bites. Rub (or chew, if that doesn’t gross you out) the leaf up, then apply to bite or sting.